 The world total fleet stood at around
735 mio dead weight tonnes (dwt) in 1998.[88]

 EC Shipowners' control around 31
per cent[89]of the
total world fleet, representing a capacity of 227 mio dwt.

 Around 13 per cent (down from 32
per cent in 1970) of the world total tonnage is sailing under
EC flags, when calculated in dwt.

 70 per cent of world freight transport
is by sea (40,000 billion tonne-km in 1996).

 The maritime mode transports 71 per
cent of the quantity and 44 per cent of the value in the frame
of total Extra-EU trade (which includes trade to the Eastern Countries
and Switzerland, Norway etc.). About 40 per cent. of this trade
are carried on ships owned or controlled by EC interests.

 When looking at trade with for ex.
USA + Canada or East Asia the figure for maritime is higher, 90
per cent and 82 per cent respectively in quantity and 40 per cent
and 50 per cent respectively in value.

 There is no available data on the
share of EC vessels in cross-trades.

 When measured in weight about 30
per cent of EU internal trade is carried by sea. Transport performance
of intra-EU shipping is 1,070 billion tonne-km or 40 per cent
of European freight traffic.